Game assembly and a method for playing a game

ABSTRACT

A method for playing a game and a game assembly  10  in which the game of blackjack is played only after a certain bonus round is played. Particularly, the bonus round requires a separate bonus bet and is based upon the value of a poker hand which is formed by the cards that a player is given and one card which is controlled by the dealer. Alternatively, the bonus round is based upon the number of blackjack hands present upon the playing portion  12  for a player or for all of the players during a bonus round.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a game assembly and to amethod for playing a game and more particularly to game assembly and toa method for playing the game of blackjack which includes a bonus roundwhich is played before the game of blackjack is played.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The game of blackjack is popularly played in many, if not all, thecountries of the world, and typically requires the “hand” (e.g., thecards) of each player to be compared and evaluated against those of thedealer. The general object of the game is to obtain a hand having avalue of twenty-one or less. Should the hand have a computed value whichis greater than twenty-one, the player automatically loses. A player“wins the hand” if the value of the player's hand is less thantwenty-one but greater than the value of the dealer's hand. Typically,the player “loses the hand” if the value of his hand is equal to thevalue of the dealer's hand. Sometimes, a “push” is declared and neitherthe player nor the dealer have a greater computed hand value. To computethe value of a hand, the value of each card in the hand is added until afinal amount is determined. For purposes of such counting, the actualvalue of each card is utilized. If a card is a two, three, four, five,six, seven, eight, nine, or ten, then the actual value of the card isutilized. A value of ten is assigned to each jack, queen, and king.Further, an ace is designated as having a value of one or eleven,depending upon the desire of the holder of the card. For a completeoverview of the game of blackjack, the reader is directed to the booksBasic Blackjack by Stanford Wong and Blackjack Wisdom by Arnold Synder.These books may be ordered from the website entitled www.conjelco.comand are each fully and completely incorporated herein by reference, wordfor word and paragraph for paragraph.

While the game of blackjack is well known, it is regarded by many asbeing boring, especially if played for a relatively long period of time.Further, with the relatively large increase in gaming establishments,each playing the same games, it has been difficult for these gamingestablishments to differentiate themselves and increase their marketshare based upon their suite of offered games. One well regarded way ofa gaming establishment to differentiate itself it for it to offer a newand novel game which becomes very popular in a very quick or fastmanner.

The present invention overcomes these previously delineated drawbacks ina new and novel fashion and by way of example and without limitationaddresses these drawbacks in a new and novel fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first non-limiting object of the present invention to provide agame assembly and a method for playing a game which overcomes thevarious previously delineated drawbacks of prior game assemblies andgame methodologies, including but not limited to those which have beenpreviously delineated.

It is a second non-limiting object of the present invention to provide agame assembly and a method for playing a game which overcomes some orall of the previously delineated drawbacks associated with prior gameassemblies and game methodologies and which, by way of example andwithout limitation, increases the popularity of playing a blackjackgame.

It is a third non-limiting object of the present invention to provide agame assembly and a method for playing a game which overcomes some orall of the previously delineated drawbacks associated with prior gameassemblies and game methodologies and which, by way of example andwithout limitation, increases the revenue received by a gamingestablishment.

According to a first non-limiting aspect of the present invention, agame assembly is provided and includes a playing portion having a bonusposition and two separate card playing portions which are adapted to beplayably controlled by a single player, the playing portion furtherhaving a third card playing portion which is adapted to be playablycontrolled by a dealer; and a plurality of playing chips.

According to a second non-limiting aspect of the present invention amethod for playing a game is provided and includes an initial bonusplaying round; and a blackjack playing round thereafter.

According to a third non-limiting aspect of the present invention, amethod for playing a game is provided and includes the steps of placinga certain amount of money in a certain bonus position; providing fourcards to a player, wherein the face portion of each of the four cardsare exposed; providing two cards to the dealer, wherein only one of thetwo cards has a face portion which is exposed; and paying the player abonus amount only if at least two of the four cards constitute ablackjack.

According to a fourth non-limiting aspect of the present invention, amethod for playing a game is provided and include the steps of placing acertain amount of money in a certain bonus position; providing fourcards to a player, wherein the face portion of each of the four cardsare exposed; providing two cards to the dealer, wherein only one of thetwo cards has a face portion which is exposed; and paying the player abonus amount only if the value of the poker hand comprising the fourcards dealt to the player and the one card which was dealt to the dealerand which has an exposed face portion is greater than a certain value.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from a reading of the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment of the invention, including thesubjoined claims, and by reference to the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a game board which is made in accordance with one non-limitingaspect of the present invention and which may be used to play thevarious non-limiting game methodologies of each non-limiting embodimentof the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the sequence of steps associated withthe game methodologies of the various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a game board or playing portion10 which is made in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment of theinvention and which may be used to selectively play the various gamingmethodologies of the present invention.

Particularly, game board or portion 10 includes a playing portion 12which may be, in one non-limiting embodiment, adapted to be removablyattached to or to selectively overlay the top of a table or other flatstructure. In one non-limiting and selectively removable embodiment, theplaying portion 12 may be constructed from plastic, felt, or anothertype of commercially available material. Alternatively, the game portion12 may be integrally formed within a structure, such as within the topof a table or imprinted upon this structure.

As shown, the playing portion 12 includes substantially identical cardreception portions 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36and, in this embodiment, these portions 14-36 are arranged in pairs.Particularly, the pairs are respectively formed by portions 14, 16; 18,20; 22, 24; 26, 28; 30, 32; and 34, 36. Proximately and respectivelypositioned to each such pair 14, 16; 18, 20; 22, 24; 30, 32; and 34, 36is a substantially identical and respective bonus playing portion 40,42, 44, 46, 48, and 50. It should be realized that while the portions14-36 are shown as being substantially circular in shape, that nothingin this description is meant to limit there geometric configuration inthis manner. Rather, the shape of these portions 14-36 may be generallyelliptical, oval, square, rectangular or of any other desired shape andsize. Further, the portion 14-36 may not even be substantially similarin size and shape. Moreover, the shape of portions 40-50 may also be ofsubstantially any desired geometric configuration, such as an “x”, adot, a circle, a square, or any other shape or size and that theseportions 40-50 may also have a dissimilar size and shape and any desiredgeometric configuration.

As is further shown in FIG. 1, the playing portion 10 includes asubstantially square or rectangularly shaped playing portion 54 which ismeant to be proximate to a dealer and to contain the cards which areplayed by the dealer in the manner which is discussed in greater detailbelow. In one non-limiting embodiment, portion 54 is referred to as the“dealer rack” portion and is the area in which the chips are kept forthe gaming establishment which are used by the dealer to pay or takeplayer bets. Further, the playing portion 10 includes an arcuateseparation portion 60 which separates the dealer's cards and playportion from the player's playing portion. Portion 60 may also be of anysubstantially desired shape and size. In one non-limiting embodiment,portion 60 is referred to as “the insurance line” and allows a “sidebet” to occur during a game or round or hand of blackjack. Particularly,this “insurance side bet” is only played when the dealer receives twocards and the first card which has an exposed face portion and which iscontrolled or given to the dealer comprises an ace. If this occurs,during a round or hand of blackjack, then the players can place a bet,within portion 60, that the exposed card and the second unexposed cardof the dealer cooperatively form a blackjack or cooperatively totaltwenty-one. The allowed bet is typically one half of a players' originalblackjack wager, for each portion 14-36 that the player controls. If thedealer has a blackjack, then the players who bet within portion 60receive twice the amount of money which they respectively bet. Thisbetting occurs after the bonus round, discussed below, and before theblackjack round begins. It should be appreciated that the playingportion 12 may also have any desired shape and size and that nothing inthis description is meant to limit the playing portion 12 to anyparticular size and shape and that the playing portion 12 may be formedin the top of a table or other such object. It should be furtherappreciated that playing portion 10) may also reside upon a computer,operable under stored program control, and played electronically.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a flowchart or methodology 66which includes a sequence of steps which cooperatively comprises thevarious gaming methodologies of the invention.

Particularly, the methodology 66 begins with an initial step 68 in whichthe dealer and/or the gaming house declare or denotes that a new game isto begin. Step 68 is followed by step 70 in which each participatingplayer places a blackjack bet. Importantly, in this gaming methodology,each player “controls” (e.g., exclusively and selectively plays whileplaying the gaming methodology of this invention by use of portion 10, apair of playing portions 14, 16; 18, 20; 22, 24; 26, 28; 30, 32; and 34,36. That is, each playing portion 14-36 in a pair may include orseparately receive a blackjack bet and a separate blackjack game isplayed within, upon, or proximate to each playing portion 14-36 forwhich a bet has previously been made. Step 72 follows step 70 and, inthis step 72, each player, if they desire, respectively places a bonusbet on the portion 40-50 which is respectively proximate to the pair ofplaying portions 14-36 which they respectively control. For example, ifa player controls playing portions 22, 24, that player would, ifdesired, place a bonus bet on the bonus playing portion 44. In onenon-limiting embodiment, a bonus bet may only be placed by a player whohas placed separate blackjack bets on each of the pair of playingportions 14-36 controlled by that player.

Step 74 follows step 72 and, in this step 74, the dealer provides onecard to each player for each playing portion 14-36 for which a blackjackbet has been placed. These cards each have their face portion exposed or“turned upwards”. Step 74 is followed by step 76 in which the dealerreceives a single card having its face portion exposed or “turnedupward”. Step 78 follows step 76 and, in this step 78, the dealerprovides another card to each player for each playing portion 14-36 forwhich a blackjack bet has been placed. Step 80 follows step 78 and, inthis step 80, the dealer receives a second card having its face portionhidden or “turned downwards”. Step 82 follows step 80 and, in this step82, a bonus payout is determined.

In one non-limiting embodiment, the bonus bet, placed on each portion40-50 may selectively vary by any desired range (e.g., from at least thesum of one dollar to the sum of five dollars) In another non-limitingembodiment, the player obtains the bonus only if the combination of thefour cards that the player receives and the exposed card with iscontrolled by the dealer cooperatively constitutes a poker hand of atleast a certain value (e.g., two pair).In yet, another non-limitingembodiment, a bonus is paid to a player only if the cards form ablackjack in at least one of the portions 14-36 which the playercontrols and an original bonus bet was made by the player in one of thebonus portions 40-50. The payout, for each such bonus bet, may also varywithin any desired range (e.g., from a multiple of about one to about2500 of the original bet.) and an even greater payout may be used ifboth portions 14-36 controlled by a player actually “win” (e.g., bothconstitute a blackjack or a poker hand of a certain value) Step 84follows step 82 in which the game of blackjack is then played in theregular manner. Step 84 is followed by step 68.

It should be realized that the amount of the amount of each bonus wagermay be limited, as desired, to between one dollar and five dollars, orsome other desired limit and the amount of a bonus payout may also besimilarly confined within a certain desired range of value. For example,two blackjacks for a player (e.g., one occurring in each of the pair ofplaying portions 14,16,18,20;22,24; 26,28;30,32; and 34,36 which thatplayer controls) may pay four times the bonus bet, while in thealternate embodiment a poker hand constituting “two pair” may pay twicethe bonus bet. For a review of poker hand valuation the reader isdirected to the text entitled Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker Secrets byMike Caro and Poker at The Millennium by Mike Caro which are eachavailable from the website www.conjelco.com and which are each fully andcompletely incorporated herein by referee, word for word and paragraphfor paragraph.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactconstruction and method which has been illustrated and discussed abovebut that various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and the scope of the inventions as are more furtherdelineated in the following claims. In yet another non-limitingembodiment of the invention, the bonus round may be based upon thenumber of blackjack hands cooperatively held by all of the playersduring the bonus round (i.e., a increasing bonus payout is made as thenumber of blackjacks increases for a round).

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a flowchart 400 which includes asequence of steps which cooperative comprise the new and novel businessmethodology of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Particularly, business method or flowchart 300 begins with an initialstep 402 in which the business methodology 400 begins. Step 402 isfollowed by step 404 in which potential licenses of the gamingmethodology which has been previously described, by way of example andwithout limitation with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, are identified. Step404 is followed by step 406 in which appropriate license agreements areexecuted between the owner of this gaming methodology and the variouspreviously identified licensees. In one non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the owner of the foregoing business methodology obtains arevenue stream based upon the money received by each of the licensees(e.g., gross revenue or profits that each licensee receives from theoperation of the game) and in another non-limiting type of licensearrangement the owner of this business methodology receives an amount ofmoney which is based only upon the quantity or the amount of playerslured into playing the game over a certain period of time. Other royaltymetrics may be used in alternate embodiments of the invention.

Step 408 follows step 406 and, in this step 408, the amount of royaltieswhich are owed to the licensor (e.g., to the owner of the businessmethodology) are determined or calculated. Step 410 follows step 408and, in this step 410, the royalty payments are received by thelicensor. The term of each license may extend to the termination ofapplicable patent protection on the methodology or may extend to someother mutually agreeable term.

It should be appreciated that the owner of the foregoing businessmethodology and assembly and business method may receive gaming revenue,under the foregoing business model or strategy, without actuallybuilding a gaming facility or incurring ongoing operational expense andthat the licensed game may be given to only one gaming facility in adesignated geographic area, thereby allowing the licensed gamingfacility to truly differentiate itself from its competition, therebydriving revenue growth and increasing the valuable nature of thelicensed game. Hence, this business strategy allows increasing levels ofprofits to be realized while concomitantly reducing required capitalexpenditures.

Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown an assembly 700 which is made inaccordance with the teachings of an alternate embodiment of theinvention and which allows the foregoing new and novel gamingmethodology to be used in a different business context.

Particularly, the assembly 700 includes a computer 702 which is operableunder stored program control and which is communicatively coupled,through a communications portion 704 to a global communications network706, such as and without limitation to the Internet.

The assembly 700 includes a processor 710 and a memory portion 712 whichis physically and communicatively coupled to the process or 710 by theuse of bus 714. The processor 710 is further physically andcommunicatively coupled to the communications portion 704 by the bus716, and the assembly 700 includes a source of electrical power 730which is physically coupled to the processor 710 by bus 732.

The assembly 700 further includes an input/output portion 740 which isphysically and communicatively coupled to the processor 710 by bus 750and the assembly 700 includes a display 770 and a input device (e.g., akey board) 772 which are each physically and communicatively coupled tothe input output portion by the bus 773.

Particularly, the control software resides within memory 712 and allowsin cooperative combination with portion 704 and processor 710, allowsthe gaming portion 10 to be operably incorporated within a website and,in this manner, allows remote users to make bets and to play the gameaccordingly to the foregoing methodologies. Thus, this Internet gamingbusiness approach allows the user of this gaming methodology to eitherlicense the inventor or use it as part of an Internet gaming venture. Itshould be further understood that nothing in this description is meantto limit the invention to a particular type of computer system and thatassembly 700 is but one non-limiting example of an operational platformupon which the gaming methodology to be performed. Hence, othercomputerized platforms may be used instead of assembly 700 and, in yetanother alternative embodiment of the invention, assembly 700 mayconstitute on computerized gaming device which allows only “local play”(i.e., the game is played by means of portions 770, 772 only.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactconstruction and method which has been illustrated and discussed abovebut that various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and the scope of the inventions as are more furtherdelineated in the following claims. The games of blackjack and poker arealso explained in Hoyle's Rules of Games—3^(rd) Ed.(Is BN-0-451-20484-0)which is published by Signet publishing and which is fully andcompletely incorporated herein by reference, word for word and paragraphfor paragraph.

1) A game assembly comprising a playing portion having a bonus positionand two separate card playing portions which are adapted to be playablycontrolled by a single player, said playing portion further having athird card playing portion which is adapted to be playably controlled bya dealer; and a plurality of playing chips. 2) The game assembly ofclaim 1 wherein said bonus portion has a substantially oval shape. 3)The game assembly of claim 1 wherein said bonus portion has asubstantially “x” shape. 4) The game assembly of claim 1 wherein saidbonus portion has a substantially circle shape. 5) The game assembly ofclaim 1 wherein said bonus portion comprises a dot. 6) The game assemblyof claim 1 wherein said playing portion is generally semi-circular. 7)The game assembly of claim 6 wherein said playing portion is adapted toselectively overlay a table. 8) The game assembly of claim 7 whereineach of said card playing portions are substantially similar and aregenerally rectangular in shape. 9) The game assembly of claim 7 whereineach of said card playing portions are substantially similar and aregenerally circular in shape. 10) The game assembly of claim 1 whereinsaid playing portion comprises a web site. 11) A method for playing agame comprising an initial bonus playing round; and a blackjack playinground thereafter. 12) The method of claim 11 wherein said bonus playinground includes a payout based upon the value of a poker hand. 13) Themethod of claim 11 wherein said bonus playing round includes a payoutbased upon the number of blackjacks. 14) A method for playing a gamecomprising the steps of placing a certain amount of money in a certainbonus position; providing four cards to a player, wherein the faceportion of each of the four cards are exposed; providing two cards tothe dealer, wherein only one of said two cards has a face portion whichis exposed; and paying the player a bonus amount only if at least two ofthe four cards constitute a blackjack. 15) The method of claim 14wherein said method further comprises the steps of placing a bonus wagerbefore receiving said four cards; and calculating said bonus amountbased upon said bonus wager. 16) The method of claim 15 wherein saidmethod further comprises the steps of placing a bonus wager beforereceiving said four cards; and calculating said bonus amount based uponsaid bonus wager and by reference to said four cards. 17) The method ofclaim 16 wherein said method further comprises the steps of allowingsaid bonus wager to be no less than one dollar and no greater than fivedollars. 18) The method of claim 17 wherein said method furthercomprises the steps of placing each of said four cards in two separatepairs; and allowing said blackjack to be constituted only by two cardsin the same separate pair. 19) A method for playing a game comprisingthe steps of placing a certain amount of money in a certain bonusposition; providing four cards to a player, wherein the face portion ofeach of the four cards are exposed; providing two cards to the dealer,wherein only one of said two cards has a face portion which is exposed;and playing the player a bonus amount only if the value of the pokerhand comprising the four cards dealt to the player and the one cardwhich was dealt to the dealer and which has an exposed face portion isgreater than a certain value. 20) The method of claim 16 furthercomprising the steps of forming two pairs of cards with said providedfour cards; and using said formed two pairs of cards to play blackjack.